The present application is directed to an implant attached to a bone with a fastener and, more particularly, to a fastener and an implant with different hardnesses with one being modified during insertion of the fastener through a passage in the implant to create an interference fit.
Various types of implants are inserted into a patient and attached with a fastener to a bone. The fastener extends through the implant and into the bone maintaining the implant against the bone. The fastener may also be configured to apply a compressive force against the implant. The implant and fastener should be structured to prevent the fastener from being non-threaded or otherwise removed from the bone and/or implant. This backward movement of the fastener relative to the bone and/or implant is referred to as backout. Backout may be caused by subsidence of the bone after attachment of the implant, or unthreading of the fastener from the bone.
Mechanisms have been developed to prevent backout of a fastener. One type of mechanism includes a snap ring that attaches to the implant and extends over a passage through the implant that receives the fastener. The snap ring is contacted during insertion of the fastener causing the snap ring to move away from the passage to allow insertion. Once the fastener passes, the snap-ring rebounds over the passage and head of the fastener. Drawbacks of these mechanisms include that the snap ring may become detached from the implant, and the snap ring may not rebound over the fastener. Further, a surgeon may have difficulty determining the position of the snap ring during a surgical procedure.
Another mechanism includes a projection that is movable by the surgeon between a locked orientation that extends over the passage in the implant and an unlocked orientation away from the passage. The projection is in the unlocked orientation when the fastener is inserted into the passage and driven into the bone. After insertion, the projection is moved by the surgeon to the locked orientation over the passage and the proximal end of the fastener. A drawback of this design is it requires the surgeon to perform an additional step after insertion of the fastener. It may also be difficult for a surgeon to determine that the projection is properly positioned over the fastener.